Around The Primary

Dear Families

Welcome back!

I hope the holidays were a time of rest and renewal for you and your children. It's been wonderful to watch the students get back into the swing of routines at school, reestablishing connections with their teachers, education assistants and peers.

We are looking forward to another busy and exciting term ahead filled with learning, growth, and special events. There are a lot of activities to look forward to, such as, assemblies, sports carnivals, incursions, excursions, Music Eisteddfod, John XXIII Day festivities, Book Week, Fathers’ Day Mass, and the much-awaited Year 4 Musical. 

I want to thank you for the level of parent participation and attendance at the Parent-Teacher meetings. We encourage all parents and caregivers to talk to your children about the value of setting a learning goal/s for this term. It is important to support your child in acknowledging and appreciating their accomplishments, as well as, to motivate and encourage them with the more challenging learning tasks.

The Term 3 Curriculum Overviews will be sent next week. These overviews provide insight into the key focus areas for learning this term and help you stay connected with your child’s educational journey.

We are very excited about the upcoming term of teaching and learning. Let’s all place our trust in God to guide us in our work with the children and to bless our school community throughout the term.

Kind regards,

Antoinette De Pinto

Head of Primary 

Primary Comfy Day 

Thank you to families for supporting Primary Comfy Day last term, a total of $675.50 was raised for LifeLink Caring Agencies.

Keeping Safe - Child Protection Curriculum

It is a requirement under The Registration Standards for Non-Government Schools that all students receive a protective behaviours education. At John XXIII College our staff are trained and deliver the Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum (KS:CPC) across all year groups. 

Keeping Safe is an evidence-based child safety curriculum. This term across the Primary school we are exploring the third Focus Area of the Keeping Safe Program: 

Recognising and Reporting Abuse

Topics: Privacy and the body; Recognising abuse; Secrets; Cyber Safety (older years)

• Students continue to explore the concept of privacy, with an emphasis on public and private (e.g. locations and personal information) and safe and unsafe touching. Students use anatomical names for sexual/private body parts and understand that their whole body is private. They learn the meaning of consent, what it looks like, sounds like and strategies for giving and not giving consent.
• A range of developmentally appropriate situations are presented to children to help them identify physical, emotional, and sexual abuse and neglect, and what to do if they or someone they know is experiencing abuse. Students gain an understanding of domestic and family violence and explore strategies and support networks to keep themselves safe.
• Students learn strategies to remain safe in the digital and online world. They learn about media classifications of video media and computer games and explore the use of photographs and images.
• Children develop an understanding that while many secrets can be fun and exciting, some secrets are unsafe to keep. It is important for children to recognise unsafe secrets and tell a trusted adult about them.

Dates to Remember

Please check the College Website to note all the important Primary school events for your family calendar. http://www.johnxxiii.edu.au/view/for-parents/calendars.  By subscribing to the College calendar, you are automatically alerted when details of an existing event are changed. 

CEWA Religious Education Assessment (REA)

This term the Years 3 and 5 students will be participating in the CEWA Religious Education Assessment (REA). 

The purpose of the REA is to measure student learning of the mandated content in the Religious Education Curriculum. Test items relevant to each participating year level are developed by the Religious Education Directorate at the Catholic Education Office of Western Australia. The test items consist of multiple choice, short and extended response. Students’ faith is not assessed.

We have scheduled a practice test for Years 3 and 5 students to take place next Wednesday 30 July at 9:00am. 

The following week students from Years 3 and 5 will sit the Religious Education Assessment (REA) on Wednesday 6 August. 

Please contact your child’s teacher or me via email - kylie.allen@johnxxiii.edu.au if you have any enquiries regarding this assessment. 

Kylie Allen

Assistant Principal

Certificate of Appreciation

During the school holidays, we were delighted to receive a Certificate of Appreciation from the Australian War Memorial awarded to our Year 6 students and staff during their visit whilst in Canberra in May.

Congratulations to our Year 6 students!

Confirmation Retreat

At the end of last term, the Year 6 students participated in a meaningful and engaging Confirmation Retreat Day, facilitated by the inspiring 24:7 Youth Ministry.  The day featured a range of interactive and reflective activities designed to deepen the students’ understanding of the Sacrament of Confirmation. These included small group discussions, team-building games, and personal reflections.

The students also gathered for a beautiful and reverent prayer liturgy.  This special time of prayer and reflection allowed students to pause, connect with their faith, and prepare spiritually for the Sacrament of Confirmation.

It was a memorable day filled with learning, laughter, and spiritual growth.

Jacqui O’Connor and Emily Ferrier

Year 6 Teachers

Counsellor’s Corner

 Primary aged children are still developing the language and emotional skills needed to express their thoughts and feelings clearly. When they act out, withdraw, or behave in unexpected ways, it’s often their way of communicating something important. A tantrum might signal frustration or a need for attention, while clinginess could reflect anxiety or a desire for connection. Rather than seeing these behaviours as “bad,” it helps to view them as messages - clues to what your child might be experiencing internally but can’t yet put into words.

As parents and caregivers, tuning into these signals with curiosity and empathy can make a big difference. Ask yourself: What might my child be trying to tell me through this behaviour? Responding with patience and support—rather than with consequences - can help children feel understood and safe, which in turn encourages healthier ways of expressing themselves. Over time, this builds trust and emotional resilience, laying the foundation for strong communication skills and positive relationships.

Some free parent programs which assist in understanding children’s needs:

Big Feelings and Tricky Behaviours – Ngala – All parents

Circle of Security® Parenting™ Program – Ngala – All parents

The 3C’s – Connection, Chatting and Communication – Ngala – Parents of Kindy children

Guiding Children’s Behaviour 2-5 yrs – Ngala – Parents of PP and Kindy children

Keeping Kids in Mind – Ngala – Separated parents

If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact me via email: Natalie.alach@johnxxiii.edu.au 

Natalie Alach

Primary Counsellor 

Sports Update

Athletics

Athletics Time Trials will take place on Tuesday 29 July for Years 3, 4, 5 and 6.  All students are to wear their sports uniform on this day and will take part in 60m Hurdles, 80m/100m sprint and 200m. 

These races will assist with the organisation of the Years 3-6 Athletics Carnival that takes place later this term. 

Extra-Curricular Sports 

If you have any queries about anything sport-related, please don’t hesitate to contact me via email: steve.williams@johnxxiii.edu.au  

Steve Williams

Primary Sport Coordinator 

Music Update

Primary Ensembles 

Please see below for rehearsal times for ensembles next week:

*Please note the change of rehearsal day for Chapel Choir and Primary Singers

Primary Band Assembly - Friday 1 August

String Orchestra, Mini Minors, Year 5 and Year 6 Bands will be performing at next week’s Primary Assembly commencing at 9:00am in Roncalli Hall. All families are welcome to attend.

Music Eisteddfod

Entries are now open for the John XXIII College Music Eisteddfod! Held on Sunday 10 and Monday 11 August, the Music Eisteddfod brings together our young musicians for a celebration of shared music-making.  This event encourages students of all experience levels to perform to an audience of peers and family members, in a supportive environment and receive encouraging feedback from expert adjudicators. 

Students who learn through the College Music Program will have applications for the Eisteddfod managed by their tutors. Applications for students learning externally are available via SEQTA Documents, through the Music Office, please email to music@johnxxiii.edu.au or in person, in the Performing Arts Department. Piano accompaniment is provided for all Eisteddfod entries (if applicable), so external entries are asked to supply a copy of the music. A schedule for rehearsals with piano accompaniments will be communicated in the lead-up to the Music Eisteddfod, in Term 3.

Entries for the Music Eisteddfod close on Friday 1 August at 4:00pm. Please contact the Music Office with any queries.

Catholic Performing Arts Festival 

Best wishes to all students representing the College as they perform at the Catholic Performing Arts Festival next week. Approximately 18,000 students from Catholic schools across the stage participate in this fantastic event, making it one of the largest student arts events in the state.

Perth Orchestral Mass

Congratulations to Abigail Ballem (4G) and Joshua Haydon (4B) who represented the College in the 10th Anniversary of the Perth Orchestral Mass last Sunday at St Joseph’s in Subiaco. Led by Jacinta Jakovcevic (the accomplished Director of Music for the Geraldton Diocese), the church was filled with heavenly music from orchestral instruments and choir. Aerin Chai (JTC alumnus) also shared her talents on the cello.

If you have any queries regarding Primary Music, please contact me via email: catherine.haydon@johnxxiii.edu.au

Catherine Haydon

Primary Music Teacher

Sacramental Certificates

Parents are requested to email a copy of their child’s Sacramental Certificate (Reconciliation, Eucharist or Confirmation) to Mrs Petsos in Primary Administration nancy.petsos@johnxxiii.edu.au for our College records.